As summer weather lingers unexpectedly in early November, Maryland anglers and local fish populations are feeling the effects. Daytime highs remain in the 70s, with overnight lows rarely dropping below 50, keeping frost and rain at bay. The Chesapeake Bay’s water temperature stands at 63.9°F—a mere degree below the decade’s peak temperature of 64.9°F, recorded in 2017. This mild, dry weather has left both fish and fishermen uncertain, with Ken Lamb from St. Mary’s Tacklebox noting erratic fishing patterns.
While the warm, sunny days might please those looking for extended outdoor adventures, the lack of classic autumnal conditions isn’t conducive to peak rockfish activity. Rockfish, known for their affinity for overcast, rainy, and cool conditions, seem disoriented by the sustained warmth and sunshine. Although anglers report some successful catches, there’s been little consistency. Lamb advises adopting a summer-like strategy, focusing on dawn and dusk for fishing, as the fish appear to be adhering to a similar routine.
“It’s been confusing,” says Lamb, explaining how anglers have had sporadic luck, often catching rockfish in one area only to return the next day and find them gone. “The key remains putting your lure in front of a hungry rockfish.” For those seeking rockfish along the Patuxent and Potomac rivers, trolling with tandem rigs and small umbrella rigs in colors like white, chartreuse, John Deere green, and school bus yellow has yielded results. Shore and pier fishers have also found success with swimming baits, topwater plugs, and jig heads rigged with various plastics. Additionally, single bucktails trolled along the edges of drop-offs continue to draw rockfish.
Further up the bay, from the Bay Bridge to its northern reaches, the rockfish population appears more active. Anglers employing live-lining techniques, using live spot as bait, report consistent feeding patterns among the striped bass, adding some predictability for those fishing these waters.
While rockfish remain elusive, white perch have made a definitive seasonal shift. Having migrated from the shallow creeks to deeper areas of the rivers, white perch are now schooling in large numbers. Savvy fishers can spot these schools on depth finders, then jig or use bait to reel them in from the depths.
The continuation of unusually warm conditions might soon give way to the cooler weather anglers are hoping for. Forecasts indicate rain by Thursday, bringing a much-anticipated cooling trend to the region. This shift could prompt a more predictable pattern for rockfish and other seasonal species, potentially providing the ideal fishing conditions that many have been waiting for.
